Insulated portable carrier cover

ABSTRACT

Insulated portable carrier cover to be used by individuals engaging in recreational activities, e.g., boating trips, camping trips, trips to the beach, and trips to the desert. The insulated cover is made using materials having superior insulating and reflective properties to provide for superior sun blockage. The cover comprises one or more layers of thin, lightweight, flexible polyester fabric insulating material, or the like. The exterior surface of the insulating material is covered by a layer of reflective metal and may also have a protective film coating. The reflective metal may thus be composed of a metalized film laminated to polyethylene or plastic film (e.g. Mylar). Because the materials serve as a thermal barrier and protect against ultraviolet radiation of the sun, the cover is able to significantly extend the period of time that a portable carrier can maintain the temperature of its contents, even in extreme temperatures.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of the present invention is improved insulated portablecarrier covers to be used by individuals engaging in recreationalactivities, e.g., boating trips, camping trips, trips to the beach, andtrips to the desert.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Each year millions of people enjoy the pleasures of various recreationalactivities, such as boating trips, camping trips, trips to the beach,and trips to the desert. When people leave home to engage in suchactivities, they usually take beverages and/or food items along withthem and they rely upon various portable carriers to store and keep theitems at a desired temperature. Typically, the beverages and food itemsare placed in the carrier just prior to departure and the carrier isfilled with ice or frozen ice packs so that the carrier maintains thetemperature of the contents during transport and, if possible, for theentire duration of the recreational activity.

There are a variety of commercially available rigid and soft-sidedinsulated carriers of varying sizes known and used by those engaging insuch recreational activities. The size and insulative characteristics ofthese carriers are such that the carriers have certain limitations as tothe maximum length of time they are able to maintain the desiredtemperature of their contents. As such, the user is faced with theproblem of trying to preserve the beverages and food items for theintended duration of the activity. In some instances, the user may beable to transport an extra carrier (or carriers) containing additionalbags of ice which can be added as needed to maintain the temperatures ofthe beverages and food items. This, of course, relies upon the abilityof the extra carriers to maintain the extra bags of ice at a temperaturesufficient to prevent the ice from melting. In other instances, e.g.,where the user is camping at a campground or boating from a slip at acommercial boat dock, the user may have relatively easy access toadditional ice which can be added to the carrier as needed to maintainthe temperatures of the beverages and food items. For the most part, thecommercially available portable carriers are suitable for meeting theneeds of those engaging in half day or even some full day recreationalactivities, depending upon the location of the activity.

However, there are certain recreational activities where the individualsengaging in such activities desire to be on extended trips in remoteareas where the ability to bring additional ice is extremely limited andthe ability to purchase additional ice is inconvenient or impractical.Such activities include trips to the desert to ride motorcycles or ATVs,or boating trips to remote islands out in the ocean. Such trips forcethe individuals to either limit the length of time they engage in theactivity, or be prepared to engage in the activity without havingchilled beverages and food items for the entire duration of theactivity. Modifications to existing portable carriers and/or new andimproved portable carriers are thus desirable and needed.

There are continual efforts to improve the insulative characteristics ofportable carriers as well as efforts to develop new and improvedportable carriers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,983 describes aportable ice chest which includes an insulated cover. The insulatedcover is designed to fit upon the top opening of the container and iscapable of holding a refrigerant coolant, such as dry ice, which helpsto extend the period of time that the container can maintain thecontents of the ice chest in a frozen state or a cooled state. U.S. Pat.No. 6,276,579 describes an insulated container assembly comprising acontainer and an insulating cover which helps to extend the time thatthe container can maintain the temperature of the contents in thecontainer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,963 describes an insulated containerwhich utilizes technology capable of providing a controlled andregulated cooling to the inside of the insulated container. Thedescribed technology requires a portable power source, such as abattery, a fuel cell, or a solar panel to provide the regulated coolingto the container. In addition, there are commercially available portablefiberglass ice boxes designed and manufactured to withstand and operatein the harsh conditions, e.g., EvaKool®.

These improvements and alternatives, while effective in givensituations, still fail to fully meet the needs of those wishing toengage in activities where it is necessary or desired to keep beveragesand food items cold for extended periods of times in extremetemperatures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for improved insulated portable carriercovers to be used by individuals engaging in recreational activities; inparticular, individuals desiring to engage in extended trips to remoteareas, or areas having extreme temperatures.

The insulated portable carrier covers of the present invention aremanufactured using materials having superior insulating and reflectiveproperties to provide for superior sun blockage. The covers comprise oneor more layers of thin, lightweight, flexible polyester fabricinsulating material, or the like. The insulating material serves tosignificantly reduce the amount of heat transferred by the sun rays tothe portable carrier. The exterior surface of the insulating material iscovered by a layer of reflective metal and may also have a protectivefilm coating. The reflective metal may thus be composed of a metalizedfilm laminated to polyethylene or plastic film (e.g. Mylar).Advantageously, the Mylar sheet material is strong and durable and isadapted to reflect ultraviolet light thereby reducing the amount ofultraviolet light that reaches the portable carrier. It is to beappreciated that any flexible radar reflective material such as aluminumfoil, metalized Tedlar or metalized cloth, or similarly flexible,reflective substances may be used in place of the metalized Mylar.Because the materials serve as a thermal barrier and protect againstultraviolet radiation of the sun, the covers are able to significantlyextend the period of time that a portable carrier can maintain thetemperature of its contents, even in extreme temperatures.

Due to the lightweight and flexible characteristics of the material usedto manufacture the portable carrier covers of present invention, thecovers can be adapted to provide a relatively snug fit on anycommercially available handheld portable carrier, e.g., Igloo® icechests and other manufactured portable ice chests. Moreover, the coverscan be easily removed from the carrier without a great deal of pullingor tugging on the carrier, and with no damage or stress on the cover.

The portable covers of the present invention are designed such that thecover comprise a central portion that can be wrapped around a carrierand then secured at opposing ends to fit snugly around the carrier, andfurther comprise a top panel for overlying the top opening of thecarrier. In one embodiment, the cover has a plurality of creases whichprovide means for facilitating the folding of the cover around theportable carrier and/or folding of the cover for storage.

In an alternative embodiment, the portable covers can be manufactured toa specific size configuration to accommodate a portable carrier ofspecific size and shape. In this embodiment, the portable coverscomprise a front wall, rear wall and first and second side wall portionswhich together define a cavity capable of receiving a carrier, andfurther comprise a top panel secured to the rear wall panel foroverlying the top opening of the carrier.

The portable covers of the present invention are very durable and can beeasily cleaned and stored due to their flexibility. And, importantly,the portable carrier covers of the present invention are more effective,more convenient, and more commercially practical than the covers and/oralternative carriers currently available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a portable carrier representativeof those contemplated for use in accordance with the covers of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, a portablecarrier cover.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention, aportable carrier cover manufactured to a specific size configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As those in the art will appreciate, the foregoing detailed descriptiondescribes certain preferred embodiments of the invention in detail, andis thus only representative and does not depict the actual scope of theinvention. Before describing the present invention in detail, it isunderstood that the invention is not limited to the particular aspectsand embodiments described, as these may vary. It is also to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit thescope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspectiveview of a portable carrier (100) representative of those contemplatedfor use in accordance with the present invention. Carrier (100) has arectangular configuration and comprises a bottom compartment (110) and ahinged top opening (200). The carrier (100) further comprises gripstructures (105, 115) to be used for transport of the carrier (100) anda capped port (120) to be used to drain water or other liquids from thecarrier (100) as necessary. It is to be understood that the presentinvention can be easily adapted to be used in accordance with anycommercially available carriers of various sizes, shapes andconfigurations.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, a portablecarrier cover (300) to be used to significantly extend the period oftime that the carrier (100) can maintain the temperature of itscontents, even in extreme temperatures.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portable carrier cover (300) is cut so as to besized and shaped to be wrapped around a handheld portable carrier, e.g.,a manufactured portable ice chest. The portable cover (300) is formedfrom a flexible sheet material such as a metalized film laminated topolyethylene or plastic film. Advantageously, the sheet material isadapted to reflect ultraviolet light thereby serving as a thermalbarrier and protecting against ultraviolet radiation of the sun,allowing the covers to reduce the amount of ultraviolet light thatreaches the portable carrier and significantly extending the period oftime that a portable carrier can maintain the temperature of itscontents, even in extreme temperatures. The portable cover (300) of FIG.2 has a central portion (310) and comprises, at opposite ends (320, 330)of said central portion (310), a first and second closure structures(325, 335). The first closure structure (325) at one end (320) of saidcentral portion (310) is provided on an undersurface thereof, and thesecond closure (335) at the opposite end (330) of said central portion(310) has a connector structure complementary to said first closurestructure (325) for detachably engaging the opposite end (320) of saidcentral portion (310) to secure said central portion (310) in awrap-around relation to the carrier (100). The central portion (310)further comprises a top panel (340) for overlying the top opening of thecarrier (100). The top panel (340) comprises a first end secured to thecentral portion (310) adjacent an upper peripheral edge thereof so thatthe top panel (340) can be selectively pivoted relative to the centralportion (310) to selectively overlie the top opening of the carrier. Thetop panel (340) includes a first portion (350) for overlying the topwall of the carrier (100) and a second tab portion (360) for overlying aportion of the central portion (310), the tab portion (360) having aclosure structure (365) provided on an undersurface thereof, and thecentral portion (310) having a connector structures (370, 380)complementary to the tab portion closure structure (365) for detachablyengaging the tab portion (360) of the top panel (340) to secure the toppanel (340) in overlying relation to the carrier (100).

When using this embodiment, the central portion (310) of the cover (300)is positioned such that the top panel (340) is aligned with the topopening (200) of the carrier (100) and then the opposing ends (320, 330)of the central portion (310) are wrapped tightly around the bottomcompartment (110) of the carrier (100) and secured using the closurestructures (325, 335) located on each end (320, 330) of the centralportion (310). The top panel (340) of the central portion (310) is thenpulled tightly over the top opening (200) of the carrier (100) andsecured using the closure structure (365) on the second tab portion(360) of the top panel (340) and the connector structures (370, 380)located on the central portion (310).

In FIG. 3, a portable carrier cover (400) is illustrated as comprising afront wall portion (410), rear wall portion (420), first side wallportion (430), and second side wall portion (440), the wall portions(410, 420, 430, 440) together defining a cavity (500) capable ofreceiving a carrier (100), and connected to a top panel (450) foroverlying the top opening of a carrier (100) contained within the cavity(500). The top panel (450) has a first end secured to the rear wallportion (420) adjacent an upper peripheral edge thereof so that the toppanel (450) can be selectively pivoted relative to the rear wall portion(420) to selectively overlie the top opening of a carrier (100) disposedin the cavity (500). The top panel (450) further includes a firstportion (460) for overlying the top wall of the carrier (100), a secondtab portion (470) for overlying a portion of the front wall portion(410), and third and fourth tab portions (480, 490) for overlying aportion of the first side wall portion (430) and second side wallportions (440), respectively, the second tab portion (470) and third tabportion (480) and fourth tab portion (490) each having a closurestructure (475, 485, 495) provided on an undersurface thereof, and thefront wall portion (410) first side wall portion (430) and second sidewall portion (440) each having a connector structure (415, 435, 445)complementary to the closure structures (475, 485, 495) for detachablyengaging the tab portion (470) of the top panel (450) to secure the toppanel (450) in overlying relation to the carrier (100) disposed in thecavity (500). The first side wall portion (430) and second side wallportion (440) further comprise openings (438, 448) to accommodate thegrip structures (105, 115) of the carrier (100) to allow for transportof the carrier (100) using the grip structures (105, 115) of the carrier(100).

When using this embodiment, a carrier (100) is placed in the cavity(500) of the cover (400). The top panel (450) of the cover (400) is thenpulled tightly over the top opening (200) of the carrier (100) andsecured using the closure structures (475, 485, 495) located on the tabportions (470, 480, 490) of the top panel (450) and the connectorstructures (415, 435, 445) located on the wall portions The top panel(340) of the central portion (310) is then pulled tightly over the topopening (200) of the carrier (100) and secured using the closurestructure (365) on the second tab portion (360) of the top panel (340)and the connector structures (370, 380) located on the central portion(310) of the cover The top panel (340) of the central portion (310) isthen pulled tightly over the top opening (200) of the carrier (100) andsecured using the closure structure (365) on the second tab portion(360) of the top panel (340) and the connector structures (415, 435,445) located on the central portion (410, 430, 440).

Importantly, the closure structures (325, 335, 365, 370, 415, 535, 445,475, 485, 495) contemplated for use on the portable covers (300, 400) ofthe present invention are Velcro-type fastening material which providefor quick and easy detachment or unfastening of the top panel (340, 450)of the portable cover (300, 400) from the carrier (100) to allow easyaccess to the contents of the carrier (100) while still allowing for thecarrier (100) to be contained within the cover (300, 400), as well asproviding for quick and easy removal of the entire portable cover (300,400) from the carrier (100).

The closure structures of the portable covers of the present inventionare designed to accommodate different sizes of carriers and stillprovide for a snug fit around the carrier regardless of the size andshape. Moreover, due to the fact that the covers of the presentinvention do not comprise a bottom portion, the cover can be easilyremoved from the carrier without a great deal of pulling or tugging onthe carrier, and with no damage or stress on the cover.

All of the articles and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be madeand executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the articles and methods of this invention have beendescribed in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent tothose of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articlesand methods without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. All such variations and equivalents apparent to those skilledin the art, whether now existing or later developed, are deemed to bewithin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

All patents, patent applications, and publications mentioned in thespecification are indicative of the levels of those of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention pertains. All patents, patentapplications, and publications are herein incorporated by reference intheir entirety for all purposes and to the same extent as if eachindividual publication was specifically and individually indicated to beincorporated by reference in its entirety for any and all purposes.

The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practicedin the absence of any element(s) not specifically disclosed herein.Thus, for example, in each instance herein any of the terms“comprising”, “consisting essentially of”, and “consisting of” may bereplaced with either of the other two terms. The terms and expressionswhich have been employed are used as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms andexpressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, but it is recognized that variousmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention hasbeen specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optionalfeatures, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosedmay be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that suchmodifications and variations are considered to be within the scope ofthis invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An insulated portable carrier cover comprising: a flexible sheetmaterial having a central portion shaped to be capable of being wrappedaround a portable carrier, said carrier defining a bottom compartmentand a top opening, said central portion having a first and secondclosure structure at opposite ends of said central portion, said firstclosure structure at one end of said central portion provided on anundersurface thereof, said second closure at the opposite end of saidcentral portion having a connector structure complementary to said firstclosure structure for detachably engaging said opposite end of saidcentral portion to secure said central portion in a wrapped aroundrelation to said carrier; and wherein said central portion furthercomprises a top panel for overlying said top opening of said carrier,said top panel having a first end secured to said central portionadjacent an upper peripheral edge thereof so that said top panel can beselectively pivoted relative to said central portion to selectivelyoverlie said top opening of said carrier, said top panel including afirst portion for overlying said top wall of said container and a secondtab portion for overlying a portion of the central portion, said tabportion having a closure structure provided on an undersurface thereof,said central portion having a connector structure complementary to saidtab portion closure structure for detachably engaging said tab portionof said top panel to secure said top panel in overlying relation to saidcarrier.
 2. An insulated portable carrier cover comprising: a front andrear wall portion, and first and second side wall portions, said wallportions together defining a cavity capable of receiving a portablecarrier, said carrier defining a bottom compartment and a top opening,said cover further comprising a top panel for overlying said top openingof said carrier, said top panel having a first end secured to said rearwall portion adjacent an upper peripheral edge thereof so that said toppanel can be selectively pivoted relative to said rear wall portion toselectively overlie said top opening of said carrier disposed in saidcavity, said top panel including a first portion for overlying said topwall of said container, a second tab portion for overlying a portion ofthe front wall portion, a third tab portion for overlying a portion ofthe first side wall portion, and a fourth tab portion for overlying aportion of the second side wall portion, said tab portions each having afirst closure structure provided on an undersurface thereof, said frontwall portion, first and second side wall portions each having aconnector structure complementary to said first closure structures fordetachably engaging said tab portion of said top panel to secure saidtop panel in overlying relation to said carrier.